Let Them Pacify While We Annihilate

Satan - Atom By Atom

Listenable – 2015

Muthas, in 2015 several NWOBHM bands have released, or are set to release, new albums.  I’ve already reviewed the new Iron Maiden, I’ll review the new Saxon shorty, and this time I’m reviewing the new album from Satan.  In 2013, Satan came out of nowhere with one of the best albums of the year – Life Sentence.  It has a legitimate claim to the crown for most impressive comeback album of all time.  The band intentionally wrote and recorded the album as if they were recording the follow-up to their 1983 classic Court In The Act.  Most bands claim to do this, but they normally deliver something that’s various shades of disappointing.  Life Sentence delivered on that promise and then some, with the album being maybe the best thing they have ever done.  So how does the new album, Atom By Atom stack up?  Read on!

Atom By Atom picks right up where Life Sentence left off and is definitely a worthy successor.  It features their patented intricate guitar work, solid rhythm section, and the ageless voice of Brian Ross. The forty seven minute album offers up ten tracks that are all good if not great.  There are no low points on the album to bore the listener, which is very rare with older, reunited bands. 

“Farewell Evolution” kicks off the proceedings with a killer scream and then tons of frantic, frenetic guitars that propel song ably.  It’s a great way to launch an album!  “Fallen Saviour” and “Ruination” display more pure speed, hooky guitar work and tasty vocals.  “The Devil’s Infantry” has appropriately martial drumming and crunchy guitars with really cool lyrics. Also, the final scream from Ross is a perfect display of his vocal power. Check it out here along with the rest of the album:

It should be noted that Satan write some insanely catchy choruses that will drill right into your gray matter and stay there for days and the title track is a great example of this. There are a couple of other superlatives tracks on the album – the galloping “In Contempt,” the middle-eastern flavored tinged “Ahriman,” and the uber-catchy “Bound In Enmity,” which reminds of their song “Twenty Twenty Five.” So damn good!

One of the absolute highlights of the LP is the final cut, “The Fall Of Persephone” which spins an epic tale of the destruction of the Earth by a meteor.  This is a departure for Satan with its varied tempos, mid-song spoken word piece, and the result is an unmitigated triumph. This sprawling track proves that you don’t need eighteen minutes to tell a great story and enthrall your audience.  Also, it’s not about a fucking blimp that crashes, which certainly helps.

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The Bottom Line:   This is a great album and a more than worthy follow up to “Life Sentence.”  It’s definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of the band, the NWOBHM or great heavy metal in general.  There’s much to love here and it’s definitely worth purchasing, so go out and get it.

As always, MAKE MINE METAL!